David Seltzer (1)Rezensionen

A poor little boy wins a ticket to visit the inside of a mysterious and magical chocolate factory. When he experiences the wonders inside the factory, the boy discovers that the entire visit is a test of his character. Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Hope

Such a great classic in horror. My 2nd time reading it and having a slightly different filter now that I have kids and just more exposure to things. Good stuff!

This is one of the best horror movies I ever watched. Story of birth of evil, Jesus' antithesis and it's placement into rich and influential family of ambassador Thorn is blood curling and terrifying from the start to the end. So when I came across the novel I had to pick it up.

Depiction of infiltration of evil into human society and protection provided to the creature by various daemons draws parallels to Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. But here it makes more sense because level of placement is very important. Here Damien is placed within a powerful and rich family from the very start. From this high level he is able to continue with his dark tasks.

Book is basically novelization of the movie (author was also scenario writer for the movie) and it is one of the better ones, I might even say on the level of Odyssey 2001 novelization.

Pace is fast and there is no padding, every word, every page plays a part in the story. Once you start reading it you wont be able to stop until the very end.

All the major plot elements from the movie are present and expanded. Only difference is that some names are changed (Thorn is named Jeremy here, but in movie his name is Robert if I remember correctly).

Ending must be the most terrifying ending ever, on screen or off screen.

Excellent horror thriller. Highly recommended.

Enjoyably Good

I watched the movie 'The Omen' a couple of times. It is one of my favourite 70's religious horror movies.

I agree with some of the reviews - it doesn't add much to the plot, yet it does expand on certain scenes. The zoo scene was an interesting extension and the back story of the Priest who saw the light and wanted to help Mr Thorn.

This novel is still one of the better movie novelizations out there . . . but if you are not into religious horror: please skip this.

I enjoyed the pacing and how it led to the events of the ending (as in the movie). I also find the toilet paper a bit weird, but I have a small theory about this: It is a Demon Dog possessing a human, and that is why she goes to the forest.

After reading other books about evil children....We need to talk about Kevin and Baby teeth...... I decided to stick with this storyline and revisit this horror classic.

It's been since I've read this book, but I've seen the movie, and the remakes, multiple times. It was still nostalgic and enjoyable read.....a timeless horror classic. It's never any less scary!!

The movie only comes in 2nd to caddyshack as a reference point.

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Robert Thorn recibe la noticia de que su primer hijo ha nacido muerto. Para evitar el dolor de su mujer, Katherine, acepta adoptar a otro niño nacido en la misma clínica, cuya madre ha fallecido durante el parto. Katherine, ignorante de la suplantación, se entrega con ternura al cuidado de su supuesto hijo Damien. Pero mientras el niño crece, también lo hace el terror que lo rodea. Accidentes fatales, suicidios y una violencia inexplicable parecen seguir a los Thorn adonde quiera que vayan, pero ¿por qué razón? ¿Y cómo es posible que el pequeño Damien tenga algo que ver con tan terribles sucesos? Es sólo un niño...

A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.

Charlie is played by Peter Ostrum who does a great job. For me Gene Wilder is the perfect Willy Wonka, The Grandfather is played by Roy Kennear, also just right.

Still a classic. I have not seen the newer version to compare it, however.

An ambassador is told that his son is the antichrist.

2/4 (Indifferent).

As with most Richard Donner movies, I don't understand what people see in this. I guess it has a generally suspenseful atmosphere, but there's nothing to actually be in suspense about. It just doesn't work for me.½

I read this for November's Horror Aficionados read.

Please note that I gave this book 3.5 stars and rounded it up to 4 stars on Goodreads.

This was a good horror book, but my mind tended to wander the entire story-line. I think the problem is that the writing style was just okay, and a few times there would be a sentence or two that just read wrong in my head and I would get distracted.

This book is kind of a weird thing in itself. This was released two weeks prior to the movie being released. There were some minor changes between the book/movie, but ultimately this whole book read like a very jazzed up screenplay. I don't want to make comparisons between Dan Brown or David Seltzer, but a few times I would read something and could see the scene in my head from the movie. So Seltzer definitely wins when it comes to tying the book/movie together.

The Omen follows Robert Thorn and his wife Katherine after the birth of their son. Readers are quickly hip to the fact that Katherine and Robert's child is murdered by mysterious persons and is switched with another baby. Robert is led to believe that his baby was stillborn and is talked into switching out his baby with another baby whose mother died. The set-up to why Robert would do such a thing is that the book goes more into Katherine's mental state prior to this birth and how fragile she was due to the miscarriages she had prior to giving birth.

So this whole book is really just Katherine and Robert realizing that their son Damien does not seem to be like other boys and Robert realizing that something dark seems to be stalking his family.

The writing as I said was good but certain parts were a bit much here and there. This book included pictures from the 2006 film staring Julia Stiles and Liev Schrieber. It was actually odd that the book threw some photos in there randomly in the book. It broke up the flow of my reading. I wish that they had inserted the pictures at the end of the book, or if you are going to insert the pictures in the book, insert them in where the picture references what is going on in the story at that time. Since the book itself that I have is pretty old looking, it was weird to see the glossy colored pictures as well.

There are other books in this series, but I am going to pass on them. All in all some of the imagery in the book was gruesome here and there so that's fair warning to those out there looking for something like this to read.

All'alba della seconda guerra mondiale, un agente segreto e la sua segretaria ebrea scoprono di essere profondamente innamorati. Saranno coinvolti in un'avventura avvincente nel cuore della Germania nazista. (fonte: Cdec)

Rating this one is tough for me, and I've had a hard time deciding between three stars or four, but ultimately felt like this novel doesn't measure up to other similar ones I've given four stars to, so it's three stars. Which is not to say it's bad. I recall the virtually social craze that swept America when this film came out and I believe, the book actually followed, which is rare. And I recall that when I saw the film at a young age, I was properly creeped out so at that time, I would have given it a higher rating. However, having seen it again a number of times over the years and having read the book, again, while decent, I remain somewhat unimpressed because I think there's a lot of books and stories out there that are far more "horrifying" and creepy than this one. Indeed, I suspect one of the seasons for its continuing legacy is simply that it was a product of its time, as in the 1970s were chock full of little but apocalyptic books, shows, films, religions, novels, prophets, etc. If you don't believe me, look up Hal Linsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. See how influential and popular it was back then and how many copies it sold. Then either read it or see the film made from it (or both). I was forced to see that by my fundie parents and it scared the shit out of me much more than The Omen ever did! Which is why I don't think it has held up well or holds up well at all, which ultimately is its greatest weakness. It feels dated and forced, almost like a fraud. Possibly to cash in on the rage and/or fad of that decade. But that's just me; feel free to disagree. It's okay, but not recommended as I think there are far too many better books out there in the genre.

I saw this movie when it first came out. I loved it! It made quite an impression on teenaged me. I know I saw it more than once. Recently I have been thinking about the books and movies I loved long ago. I remembered Prophecy and decided to search for the book.

I found the used book on Abe Books and purchased it. For a 39 year old paperback copy, it is in pretty good condition. So I eagerly started reading.

This book has a lot of backstory. What I remember most from the movie is the mutant creature. In the book it took quite awhile for things to get going. A lot happens before our heroes finally make it to the forest and things start getting strange.

The mutant is still super awesome, and the book does have a good message about respecting the earth and the dangers of pollution. I wasn't real impressed with the presentation of the indians in this book. And there is a lot of racism presented. I would still love to rewatch the movie and see if it holds up as well as I hope. The book, for me, was nothing special.

If I hadn't read this was a novelization of the incredibly chilling film starring Gregory Peck, by none other than David Seltzer himself, I would have rated it a bit higher. In a rare case, Seltzer has taken liberties with his own original material to transfer the film to the pages, and as it is, the novel seems like a very good effort.

It provides many interesting details about the past of key characters, especially Catherine, Thorn's wife, and father Tassone (who was father Brennan in the film). Also, the character of Jennings -my own personal favourite in both the film and the novel- the young photographer who helps Thorn solve the riddle concerning the boy Damien, is significantly expanded.

The unfortunate thing is that there are some differences in comparison to the film that, in my opinion, are unecessary and take away much of the atmosphere that the film succeeds in creating. I will add no spoilers but I can say that while I definitely enjoyed reading the book, it failed to chill my blood and send shivers down my spine in the way the film did. I have watched the movie twice and will watch it again and again. Do I recommend the novelization? Certainly. Will I read it a second time? I doubt it.

Nella New York del 1941 , un agente segreto Americano necessita di inviare nella Berlino Nazista un agente segreto sotto copertura , allo scopo di raccogliere informazioni sulla costruzione della Bomba ad Acqua da parte dei Nazisti . La scelta cade sulla segretaria ebrea dell'uomo ( Melanie Griffith) , che grazie al suo tedesco perfetto potrà ingraziarsi il generale Nazista presso il quale dovrà fare da cameriera . Uno dei film di spionaggio più Mielosi degli anni '90 , ma forse uno dei più apprezzati per i numerosi richiami ad altri film del genere divenuti un cult . Il film che Linda guarda agli inizi della storia nella sala cinematografica è "Bufera Mortale" di Borzage del 1940 , mentre la scena della partenza dell'uomo all'aeroporto è un chiaro omaggio a "Casablanca" .

Fantastic story, compelling characters, and a true page turner. You feel sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Thorn. What they wanted was a family, what they got was a parent’s worst nightmare.

The Omen, by David Seltzer, was written after the film was produced. It focuses, of course, on the birth of a young boy to a successful diplomatic family who have immeasurable influence on the world. I would be surprised if you didn't know the plot already but just in case: Ambassador Robert Thorne and his wife Kathy have a child, Damien, who - at the age of 5 - begins to change. People start dying and weird warnings erupt from all sides. Robert begins suspicious and slowly begins to believe that his son is the antichrist.

Plenty of suspense is cast throughout the novel; the theme is always dark and heavy on foreboding. The ending is a great climatic event, almost the entire book is used to drive up to that point.

While nothing unbelievably shocking occurs every turn of the page, as in some novels, when something does occur it is brutal. This book is definitely not boring. I especially enjoyed the little added text from the bible that Thorn is reading, leaving us to form our own theories - while watching him form HIS.

The little boy is shown as adorable, and yet odd. The author did an excellent job in creating the well-rounded personality the child possessed; while at times we saw him as the evil being we knew he was, our hearts cannot help but ache a bit when we read something cute and childlike he did out of confusion or innocence. The
mother, Kathy, is written as an overall fragile character who is overwhelmed by the current events. For a change we are not reading about the hardened, take-on-all females; she is very realistic, and also very sweet in nature. In fact, all the characters are basically likable (the ones that are on the good side of things anyway), causing a deeper sense of loss when one perishes.

Damien isn't the main character here -- it is instead in the lap of Ambassador Thorn. He is responsible yet caring; level headed, and his feet planted firmly on earth, and yet no one can ignore the events that begin unfolding before his eyes. How he handles things is interesting and not completely predictable.

I try and refrain from comparing films to books, but I will say that there are scenes in the novel version that were missing in the film [or added for bulk]. Mostly surrounding the photographer Jennings, who for an odd reason, is likable while his personality really isn't all that great.

The pace is great from the start. Nothing overly climactic at the beginning but everything that happens is interesting; I never grew bored. The style isn't as simple as some other "movie-books" and for this I was glad. It all comes across well written. Nothing is overly frightening about the events, but the theme itself is deeply disturbing, and Seltzer did an excellent job transferring film to page.

Do yourself a favor; if you enjoy religious horror or apocalyptic plots, hunt yourself down a copy of little Damien's upbringing.

Five children tour an eccentric candy-maker's factory.

Gene Wilder, you so creepy.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: B
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A plus

GPA: 3.3/4

(Jan. 2012)

Better than the movie, entertaining, didn't blow me away but I enjoyed it. I didn't like the "weak woman" characterization of Katherine, and would have liked much more character development. I think this would have been much better if written as a book for the sake of being a book, and not as a movie "teaser".

Ever since this book & movie came out in the 70s, I’ve heard about how scary it was. I was very disappointed in it now that I’ve finally gotten around to reading it.

American ambassador to England, Jeremy Thorn and his wife Katherine, after a couple of miscarriages, are having a baby. But when Thorn gets to the hospital, the priest in charge tells him the baby has died. But a mother with no next of kin has just died giving birth. The baby is healthy and has no one to take it. Will Thorn adopt the baby, pretending it’s his own, lying even to his psychologically fragile wife? Yes, yes he will. He never even sees the body of his own baby.

Four years later, bad things start happening around Damian. The nanny commits suicide at his fourth birthday party. A new nanny appears the next day out of the blue, without anyone calling the agency. Katherine begins to get neurotic as the boy gets closer to the nanny and withdrawing from her. A priest follows Thorn, babbling strange warnings. A paparazzo who follows Thorn finds ghostly images in the photos he takes; on the nanny before her dramatic suicide, on the priest who follows Thorn. Animals fear Damian, except for a mysterious black dog that keeps getting into the house. Churches induce a hysterical fear in him. What is the child? Is he the antichrist?

Sadly, the book didn’t induce even mild fear in me. I think the problem is that you have to believe in Satan to be scared by this book, and I don’t. So while I felt tension, waiting to see who lived and who died, it couldn’t really creep me out. The book has flaws, too. The characters are two dimensional; no one is really likable. There is no depth to the story. I think the problem may be that Seltzer was also the screenwriter, and I think the screenplay may have come before the novel. In a movie, things aren’t described for us. The actor’s facial expressions, the set designers, the lighting person, all add the depth missing from the printed word in the screenplay. I think it didn’t occur to Seltzer to add these cues for the novel reader.

Meh.